Fallen in the Forest
by CrystalMaiden77
Summary: Fiona discovers Phoebe lying on the ground of a forest injured, and feels enough sympathy to help her.


Furious with Fiona, Phoebe ran into the forest, and kept running until she finally caught up with Coop and Fiona, who were having a picnic, and stopped to hide behind a tree. She planned on waiting until the picnic was over and then grabbing Fiona from behind and confronting her, preventing her from following Coop. But long before she could do that, a tree branch snapped off the tree above her and smacked her on the top of the head.

Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with a stinging pounding headache. Everything started spinning as she felt a complete loss of balance, and she became extremely weak and exhausted as a red haze obscured her blurry vision. This caused her to fall to the side and collapse to the ground with her eyes squeezed shut. Confused and miserable, Phoebe felt helpless as she slowly lost consciousness, feeling like her head was bleeding. Everything went dark as her pain faded away with her senses, with a ringing in her ears and the smell of burnt toast being the last thing she was aware of.

Meanwhile, Coop and Fiona continued on with their picnic, completely oblivious to what had happened to Phoebe. They cheerfully enjoyed sandwiches together while having a conversation about each other's personal lives.

Eventually, the peaceful picnic was interrupted when Dennis called Coop on his walky-talky, telling him to go to the shed right away. Worried at how panicked Coop had become, Fiona asked, " Can I come?! " Not wanting her to find out about Kat again and risk her life helping him, Coop immediately answered, " NO, you can't, SORRY! " while running away. " Wait, WAIT! " Fiona yelled out while chasing him, only to trip and fall to the ground. Coop continued running away and out of her sight.

Confused, she got up from the ground, and saw that she had tripped on a tree root. She gasped sharply and jumped at seeing Phoebe lying on the ground on her side, with her eyes squeezed shut in pain. " PHOEBE! " Fiona exclaimed. She rushed to her side and sat down beside her. After seeing a tree branch near her, she quickly realized that Phoebe had been hit in the head by it and passed out, and worried that Phoebe had gotten a concussion.

" PHOEBE, WAKE UP! " Fiona cautiously lifted up Phoebe's hair, and was shocked to see a pink bump on the top of her head surrounded by a nasty purple bruise, but was also relieved to see no blood. " Phoebe? " she asked nervously. She lifted Phoebe's wrist from below to check her pulse, and was relieved to find out that she was still alive.

" PHOEBE, WAKE UP! " This time, Phoebe reacted to hearing her name, by squeezing her eyes shut even more and grimacing in pain. " PHOEBE, are you ALRIGHT?! " Phoebe groaned. Her consciousness had returned, and with it, a splitting headache. She was still feeling faint, wanting to stand up but not having the energy or balance to do so. She felt like she had gotten a head rush, only worse because her head was killing her. Her vision was still blurry, which confused and worried her in her dazed state. She recognized Fiona's voice, and the concern that her tone was supposed to convey, which confused her to no end.

After a few seconds of no reply, Fiona asked, " Are you okay?! " Phoebe moaned, " Do you have to be so LOUD? I have SUCH a HEADACHE... Ohhhhh... My head is _pounding_... It feels like I'm bleeding. Am I bleeding? " She seemed weak when she spoke, like she was barely holding on.

Fiona answered quietly, " No, I checked your head, and I couldn't find any blood. " Phoebe groaned again, and Fiona asked with sympathy, " Do you want me to help you up? " Phoebe said,

" No, please don't! I'll pass out again if I stand up! I just wanna... I just need to lie down here for a while... " She sounded sleepy, like she was going to faint again at any moment.

" But Phoebe, you can't just stay here! You have a HEAD INJURY! You could have a concussion! You could have _brain damage!_ You have to get to the hospital and _fast!_ " Phoebe told her, " Well, then, call an ambulance. The paramedics will come get me. " Fiona exclaimed panickingly, " I don't have a phone with me! I'm NOT leaving you here! If you can't stand up, then I have no other choice! "

She pleaded softly, " Let me _carry you,_ " desperately hoping that Phoebe would agree to it. She felt uncomfortable with the idea of trusting her rival to carry her home, and didn't want to risk the embarrassment of people seeing that happen. But she knew how much danger she was in, and most importantly, Fiona was begging her. She wouldn't relent until she agreed. So after a couple seconds of hesitation, Phoebe sighed and said reluctantly, " Okay, fine. "

Relieved, Fiona said, " Thank you, " and carefully lifted Phoebe over her shoulder and started to walk through the forest carrying her. Phoebe wasn't sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, she was suddenly really close to someone whose mere existence made her feel even more terrible about herself than ever before, and she had a really hard time trusting her. But on the other hand, it was warm, and she found it heartwarming that Fiona cared about her so much that she would beg her to let her carry her home after the way she was treated by her.

While walking through the woods carrying her, Fiona talked to her quietly, knowing that it was best to keep Phoebe awake because of her head injury. " I'm going to have to walk slowly so I don't aggravate your injuries. Alright? " Phoebe said, " I understand, " still in a daze and struggling to not close her eyes and take a nap.

" Don't fall asleep, whatever you do! You have a head injury! For all I know, you won't ever wake up. " Phoebe was startled and shocked. A part of her wanted to fall asleep anyways because she'd finally be put out of her misery, experiencing a death that she wouldn't have to suffer through, and would never have to deal with Coop's rejection and her own insecurity again. But she knew that Fiona would freak out if anything happened to her at the moment. Fiona felt responsible for making sure she'd be okay, and if she died, she'd blame herself. So as much as she resented Fiona, she couldn't bring herself to put her through that kind of frightening experience.

" I'll try to stay awake, " she replied reluctantly after a few seconds. " Good... So, I need to ask you a few questions, to determine the severity of your injury... Is your vision blurry? " Phoebe answered, " It's more ' foggy ' than blurry, but, yeah, I can't really see well... " Fiona asked nervously, " Do you hear a ringing sound? "

" Only at first, " she answered. " Do you smell burnt toast? " Phoebe answered again, " Only at first. " Fiona said nervously, " Are you dizzy? " Phoebe said, " Constantly... " Worried, Fiona said,

" So, you still feel like you're gonna pass out, huh? " Phoebe replied, " Ever since I got hurt... It feels like I have a head rush, you know? Only it never stops, and I have a splitting headache... " Pitying her, Fiona said, " I see... You don't deserve to go through all this, Phoebe... " Doubtful, Phoebe wondered if she really meant what she said, or was just saying it because she was afraid.

When they finally got to Phoebe's house, Fiona carefully laid Phoebe down on the couch in the living room. Still dizzy and dazed, Phoebe groaned and complained, " My head... " Worried, Fiona told her, " Don't worry. I'm not leaving your side. I'm just gonna get you a pillow and some blankets and an ice pack, and then I'm gonna tell someone what happened. "

Feeling disoriented, Phoebe asked in confusion, " Right, and that was? " After a few seconds of shocked silence, Fiona said, " Well, I didn't see what happened, but I'm pretty sure a tree branch snapped off the tree above you and fell on your head... because you have a bump on the top of your head, and a tree branch was right beside you, so... " She desperately hoped that Phoebe wouldn't accuse her of hurting her, because Phoebe needed to trust her for her own safety.

" That makes sense, because, I was, in a forest and, the tree was right in front of me... " Phoebe muttered sleepily, almost slurring her words. Fiona was relieved that she wasn't blamed for her injury. However, she was still frantically worried about her, and hoped that Phoebe didn't have any permanent brain damage.

She said, " I'll be right back, " rushed to the kitchen, filled a plastic bag with ice cubes from the fridge, ran back to the couch, and slowly and cautiously moved the ice pack to the top of Phoebe's head, warning her, " This is gonna sting, but it'll get the swelling down, so just trust me on this... "

When she finally placed the ice pack on top of Phoebe's head, Phoebe winced and squeezed her eyes shut in pain with her fists clenched. It took every last shred of her endurance not to scream in pain as she reluctantly held the ice pack to her head. She knew her head would be sore, but she didn't know how sore it would actually be.

Fiona said with concern, " It's gonna be okay. W-Wait here... " She rushed upstairs, grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bedroom of Phoebe's father, and ran back to the couch with it. " Okay, lift up your head, " she nervously instructed. Phoebe slowly lifted up her head, and Fiona placed the soft pillow underneath her head, causing her to sigh in relief. She was much more comfortable having a pillow. She was still in severe pain, but it was clear that she appreciated the kindness. Then, Fiona covered Phoebe over with the blankets, worried about her.

" Okay, don't fall asleep! Just wait here, and I'll try to find your parents so they can call an ambulance... " Phoebe looked slightly nervous at hearing that. " Wanna watch TV while you're waiting? " She answered sleepily, " Yes, please, " wanting something to distract her from her misery. " Okay. " Fiona turned on the TV, turned the volume down low, and gave Phoebe the remote. She left the room, and quickly started searching the entire house frantically for an adult.

After a couple minutes, she returned to Phoebe's side looking worried, and asked, " Okay, do you have any idea where your parents might be right now? " Phoebe answered, " Well, they said they were going to the store today... Guess they're not back yet... It's gonna be fine, just wait for them to come back. There's no point in calling 911 yourself. After all, I'm sure the operator will just hang up after hearing a kid's voice, anyways. They'll assume it was a prank or something. "

Fiona sat down right beside Phoebe's pillow and said uneasily, " Are you sure you don't want me to keep trying? I could always find another adult to call for help! You need to go to the hospital! " She held the ice pack to Phoebe's head for her while Phoebe sighed and answered in annoyance,

" Fiona... Don't you get it?... I've been injured. I've been through a lot. I'm in a lot of pain right now. The last thing I wanna do is leave the comfort of my own home.I just wanna lie here on the couch, and watch TV to keep my mind off it. Do you _understand?_ "

After a silence, Fiona sighed and said reluctantly, " Yes. Going into an ambulance would just stress you out even more... You need peace and quiet. After what you went through today, you deserve to relax. " Still annoyed, Phoebe replied, " Good. I'm glad you understand. " There was a silence.

Worried about Phoebe sounding annoyed, Fiona said, " Phoebe? " She sighed in exasperation, muted the TV, and said resentfully, " You're lucky it's on commercials. _What?_ " Fiona asked sadly,

" Do you want me to _leave?_ "

She was about to reply angrily, only to realize by looking at her that Fiona was actually sad. She had hurt her feelings by getting annoyed, and for a reason Phoebe didn't want to admit to herself, that made her upset. Whether she liked it or not, she needed her help. Phoebe sighed and pleaded reluctantly,

" No, Fiona... _Please..._ Please don't leave me... " Fiona found it heartwarming that she didn't want her to leave her side. She asked in curiousity, " So, then... why ARE you all annoyed all of a sudden? "

There was a silence. Fiona felt embarrassed and said, " It's probably a stupid question, right? " since she was sure that she knew the answer. Phoebe was annoyed because she was in pain and was frustrated with the circumstances she had been put in. " No... I... It's just kind of embarrassing, being taken care of by you, that's all... I just don't like you seeing me in such a _weak and pathetic and vulnerable state._ " Phoebe admitted reluctantly.

Pitying her, Fiona assured her, " I haven't lost any respect for you, Phoebe, I promise... If anything, this experience made me respect you _more!_ It's _impressive_ how much pain tolerance you've got!

I mean, I would've thought you'd have screamed in pain at least _once!_ I knew you were tough, but not THAT TOUGH! " Phoebe said, " Well, I had to force myself not to... But thank you. I really appreciate it, " and smiled slightly, trying to ignore her headache.

After a long silence, Fiona asked her, " So... there's something I've been meaning to ask you... Why were you in the woods in the first place? " Phoebe immediately became worried, knowing that Fiona would get mad at her if she found out that Phoebe had tried to spy on her picnic with Coop out of jealousy and curiousity. " I don't remember, " she answered at last, looking away from her out of shame.

This caused Fiona to gasp and get panicked. " So you suffered from memory loss?! Oh, NO! This bad! This is really bad! " Phoebe replied, " CALM DOWN! It's normal for someone to not remember what happened a few seconds before they were knocked out! That's why I didn't remember how I got hurt, remember? "

Fiona said nervously, " That's one thing, but you don't even remember why you came all the way there! It took more than just a couple seconds for you to walk all the way to that part of the woods! So if you forgot THAT much, that could be a sign of brain damage! If you forgot THAT, what ELSE don't you remember?! "

There was a silence as Phoebe looked nervous, and Fiona asked sadly, " Do you remember ME? " Phoebe's first instinct was to answer honestly to calm her down. But when she thought about it, this was a major opportunity for her to start things over with Fiona. Filled with guilt, regret and self-loathing, Phoebe answered unhappily, " No. "

Fiona gasped. " We're _friends,_ right? " There was a shocked silence as Fiona thought about what to say. She didn't know if a friendship with Phoebe would work out, because eventually Phoebe would find out that Coop likes her and start to hate her again. But she liked the idea of spending quality time with her and getting to know her better, and she wanted to find out what it would be like if Phoebe liked her. And there was always the possibility that Phoebe would be less jealous of her if she got the chance to get to know her and become close to her first. So after a couple seconds of thinking it over, Fiona exclaimed,

" _Of course_ we're _friends!_ I've _always_ cared about you! W-W-Why do you think I carried you all the way here and gave you medical attention?!... I can't believe you don't remember me... " Phoebe hoped that Fiona wasn't lying about caring about her as she said,

" Well, we can always form _new_ memories together... Starting with today. I mean, this is quality time, isn't it? " She had to force a smile because of the pain she was in. Fiona smiled after a brief hesitation, and said, " Yeah, it is... This is nice... " Phoebe said with a genuine smile, " See? I'm liking this already! We should do this more often... " Fiona said with content, " Yeah. We should... "

After a brief pause, Fiona asked, " So is that all you've forgotten? " Not wanting to worry her any further, Phoebe quickly said, " Yep, " unmuted the TV, and watched TV with her, smiling. She still had a splitting headache, but she had stopped being dizzy a long time ago, and her vision hadn't been blurry since Fiona gave her the ice pack. However, she still felt tired, and focusing on the television and her conversation with Fiona was all it took to keep her from fainting, because it kept her alert. " Oh, and... Fiona?... _Thank you for saving my life._ "

Fiona smiled warmly and said, " You're welcome. " She had waited a long time to hear her say that, so she appreciated it deeply. Even though she was expecting gratitude for the other time she had saved her, one ' thank you ' was good enough for her. She stayed with Phoebe for a half an hour, watching TV with her while holding the ice pack to her head, enjoying the quality time and waiting for Phoebe's parents to come home.


End file.
